Asylum: Zimbabwe

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will expedite assessment of the asylum claims of all Zimbabwean asylum seekers in the light of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal's November 2008 country guidance determination on Zimbabwe.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 12 February 2009
	In November, the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal refined what they believe are the current risk factors that must be considered when a Zimbabwean asylum claim. We have accepted their findings. We have issued new guidance to our case-owners and also made that guidance publicly available. We will keep the situation under review as the situation in Zimbabwe develops and we will update that guidance when appropriate.
	The UK Border Agency will examine all outstanding Zimbabwean asylum claims on their individual merits, as soon as possible, applying the current test as set out in our guidance. This has already begun. We have dedicated significant resources to clearing backlogged cases. We will consider cases in line with published policy on prioritising cases which is on our website at:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/asylum/oldercases/whichcases/

Stop and Search: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were found to be carrying illegal  (a) weapons and  (b) drugs during stop and search procedures by the police in Hemel Hempstead in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Information on stops and searches under PACE and the number of resultant arrests for weapons and drugs reported to the Home Office are broken down by police force area only, and cannot separately identify searches in individual constituency areas.

Council Tax: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 10 December 2007,  Official Report, column 117W, on council tax: empty property, what the conclusion of the research commissioned by her Department on the exercise of discretionary council tax power by local authorities in respect of long-term empty homes was; and whether she plans to review Government policy in light of this research.

John Healey: The report, including its conclusions, by Roger Tym Partnership in association with Three Dragons, "Application of discretionary council tax powers for empty homes", is available on Communities and Local Government's website at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/counciltaxemptyhomes
	The Government have no plans to review its policy on local authorities' discretionary power to reduce the council tax discount on empty properties.

Departmental Absenteeism

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many staff of his Department were recorded absent for non-medical reasons on  (a) 2 February 2009 and  (b) 3 February 2009; what estimate he has made of the (i) cost to his Department and (ii) number of working hours lost as a result of such absence; and what guidance his Department issued to staff in respect of absence on those days.

Si�n Simon: The Department issued guidance to staff on the days in question, advising them to make reasonable efforts to come into work and, if this was not possible, to work from home where possible. All DIUS staff are issued with laptops and our telephony enables remote working. Staff were also told to also take account of local advice in the light of weather conditions and travel arrangements.
	Absences were handled locally by managers and information was not collected centrally on those unable to work. Therefore, the information on staff numbers, costs and working hours lost could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Social Fund

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of Jobcentre Plus's Social Fund Work Status Report statistics.

Kitty Ussher: holding answer 12 January 2009
	Jobcentre Plus's social fund work status reports are an internal management tool. They are produced weekly and are a snap shot of how much work is outstanding in order to help manage the business.
	Work status reports are clerical statistics and are collated weekly at national level to provide management with information on the current levels of work in benefit delivery centres. This enables Jobcentre Plus to promptly move work around the network if needed rather than waiting for the monthly computer produced figures.
	Outstanding cases in each benefit delivery centre are clerically counted, collated at regional level and regional returns are then turned into the national picture. These are not robust enough to use as official data. It is therefore not appropriate for a copy of the work status report to be placed in the Library.
	Verified data is published in the annual report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund 2007-08, a copy of which is in the Library. It is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2008/2008-annual-report-social-fund.pdf

Appeals: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of sentences imposed in magistrates courts in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency were appealed against to the Crown Court in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: Information is available on the number of offenders sentenced and the number of appeals against sentences from 1997 to 2007, which is set out in the following table. It is not possible to calculate a percentage between these two methods of counting, as one counts 'offenders' and the other 'offences'.
	The data for Copeland is reported within two other districts of the Cumbria area (Whitehaven and Furness, and district) and is therefore unavailable separately.
	
		
			  Cumbria 
			   Total sentenced  Total appealed against sentence( 1) 
			 1997 16,508 54 
			 1998 15,858 119 
			 1999 15,334 112 
			 2000 13,142 112 
			 2001 10,975 118 
			 2002 10,812 121 
			 2003 14,447 82 
			 2004 14,967 89 
			 2005 14,458 109 
			 2006 14,673 119 
			 2007 14,828 135 
			 (1) Figures include appeals against both conviction and sentence.

Community Orders

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of people on community sentence placements who  (a) will and  (b) will not be required to wear high-visibility vests in the next 12 months.

Jack Straw: The policy requiring offenders sentenced to Community Payback to wear distinctive high visibility vests was introduced on 1 December. The vests are worn when work is taking place in the potential view of members of the public. The purpose of the vests is to inform people where Community Payback is taking place. Where beneficiaries request in writing that offenders do not wear high visibility vests, exemptions may be granted by the probation area only where convincing evidence is provided on the basis of health and safety concerns, business risk to the beneficiary or suitability of the placement.
	Probation areas are actively, engaging with beneficiaries with a view to increasing the number of work projects in which distinctive clothing is used. Distinctive clothing is also not used if a risk assessment, endorsed by a senior manager, determines that distinctive clothing would potentially place the public, supervisory staff or offenders at risk. During January almost 70 per cent. of the hours worked by offenders on sites within the scope of the policy were undertaken using distinctive high visibility clothing.
	The actual number of offenders who are required to wear high visibility clothing is not monitored and the cost of obtaining this information would be disproportionate. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of the total number of offenders who will be required to wear distinctive clothing during the next 12 months.

Criminal Proceedings: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of providing the Crown Court service in Cumbria was in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: Prior to the formation of Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) on 1 April 2005, Crown courts were the responsibility of the Court Service. Consequently, HMCS has no records relating Crown courts prior to 1 April 2005.
	The cost of providing Crown court services in Cumbria for each of the last three years were as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  000 
			 2005-06 1,722 
			 2006-07 1,637 
			 2007-08 1,540

Domestic Violence: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those convicted for offences in relation to incidents of domestic violence in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency in each year since 1997 had previous convictions for such offences.

Shahid Malik: The requested information is not available. The Ministry of Justice's extract of data from the Police National Computer can provide information on the previous convictions of offenders. However, the database does not enable us to identify offences involving domestic violence.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to provide services for those convicted of offences who are dependent on drugs.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has in place a comprehensive framework of interventions addressing drug misuse among offenders.
	In prisons, drug treatment funding has increased year on year since 1996-97up 1,184 per cent. to its current level of 92 million, with record numbers engaging in treatment.
	NOMS, in partnership with Department of Health, has made steps to increase the volume and quality of treatment available to prisoners through introduction of the Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS).
	Implementation of IDTS is progressing well, with all 53 first and second waves of IDTS prisons having an operational service providing all key elements of IDTS clinical services. In 2008-09 a further 38 prison/PCT partnerships have received funding for enhanced clinical drug treatment.
	The Prison Drug Treatment Strategy Review Group, announced last year, has been established to consider recommendations made by PricewaterhouseCoopers in a 2007 report on prison drug treatment. The group, chaired by Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel, sets out to agree a single set of priorities and compile national guidance around the streamlining of the commissioning, delivery, funding and performance management of drug treatment for offenders. Work on the review started in September 2008 and is expected to take two years to complete.
	In the community, Drug Rehabilitation Requirements or DRRsincreasingly have been used as part of community sentences. The Government committed to delivering an additional 1,000 DRRs in 2008-09 compared to 2007-08 targets. NOMS is set to meet this commitment.
	Drug System Change pilots are planned to start in April 2009. These two-year pilots aim to test innovative approaches to delivering improved end-to-end management of drug users, including more effective use of pooled funding and individual budgets, with a sharper focus on achieving positive outcomes for drug users, their families and their communities.

European Court of Human Rights

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what cases the Government has lost in the European Court of Human Rights in the last 30 years; and what financial penalties have been paid as a result of such outcomes;
	(2)  what payments his Department and its predecessors have made to legal firms operating on behalf of the Government in European Court of Human Rights cases in the last 30 years.

Michael Wills: All judgments given against the United Kingdom by the European Court of Human Rights and its related bodies, including all awards of just satisfaction, are available online in the court's HUDOC database at:
	http://www.echr.coe.int/ECPIR/EN/Header/Case-Law/HUDOC/HUDOC+database/
	Legal advisers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office act as agents for the Government in cases against the United Kingdom at the European Court of Human Rights. In general, external firms of solicitors are not engaged, although counsel are instructed in many cases. No central record is kept of payments made to counsel in such cases, and the informationinsofar as it is still extantfor the given period could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates Courts: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many trials in magistrates courts in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland constituency did not take place on the agreed date of the hearing in each year since 1997.

Bridget Prentice: Information is only available on the number of trials that failed to take place on the agreed hearing date in each year since 2003 in the magistrates courts in Cumbria. This information is set out in the following table. The data for Copeland is split and reported within two other districts of the Cumbria area (Whitehaven and Furness, and district) and is therefore unavailable separately.
	
		
			  Period  Total number of trials  Number of trials which did not take place on agreed date 
			 2003-04 1,482 420 
			 2004-05 1,562 415 
			 2005-06 1,668 473 
			 2006-07 1,672 459 
			 2007-08 1,789 541

Prisons: Education

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2008,  Official Report, columns 2113-4W, on prisons: education, when the report of the randomised control trial of the prison service enhanced thinking skills programme scheduled for April 2008 will be published.

David Hanson: The research of the (short-term) evaluation of HM Prison Service Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) Programme was published on 9 March 2009.
	Two reports were published, the first looked at the actual outcomes of the research, the second the implementation of the randomised controlled trial. Both reports are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/enhanced-thinking-skills-programme.htm

Probation Service: Sick Leave

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many days Probation Service personnel took in sick leave in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: During the 12 months to December 2008, probation service staff took a total of 239,801 days as sick leave. This equates to an average of 11.5 days per staff year.
	A breakdown by probation area and region is provided in the following table.
	Measured over the 2008-09 financial year to date (the period from April to December 2008) performance has improved to 11.3 days against a target of 11.5 days.
	All probation areas are required to have in place an action plan for achieving a reduction in sickness absence levels. An area's eligibility to apply for trust status is in part dependent on their performance as assessed in the Integrated Probation Performance Framework (IPPF). Performance against the sickness absence target forms part of the overall assessment.
	
		
			  Probation service staff sickness absence: January-December 2008 
			   Absence during year   
			  Probation area/region  Short-term sickness  Long-term sickness  DDA-related sickness  Total days' sickness  Total 'staff years' during year  Average days' absence per 'staff year' 
			 Staffordshire 2,020 2,109 543 4,672 442.1 10.6 
			 Warwickshire 787 712 135 1,634 171.5 9.5 
			 West Mercia 2,744 1,469 624 4,837 399.6 12.1 
			 West Midlands 10,196 9,073 1,089 20,359 1,446.5 14.1 
			 West of Midlands 15,747 13,364 2,392 31,502 2,459.6 12.8 
			
			 County Durham 1,182 1,447 142 2,771 294.5 9.4 
			 Northumbria 3,935 2,783 1,494 8,212 648.9 12.7 
			 Teesside 1,637 1,391 448 3,477 341.3 10.2 
			 North East 6,755 5,621 2,084 14,460 1,284.7 11.3 
			
			 Bedfordshire 1,167 752 269 2,188 182.4 12.0 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,699 1,712 294 3,705 245.5 15.1 
			 Essex 2,021 1,016 830 3,866 421.7 9.2 
			 Hertfordshire 1,035 1,425 652 3,112 319.6 9.7 
			 Norfolk 1,605 1,312 491 3,408 293.7 11.6 
			 Suffolk 1,189 346 8 1,543 223.3 6.9 
			 East of England 8,716 6,562 2,544 17,822 1,686.1 10.6 
			
			 Cheshire 1,584 2,072 478 4,133 373.4 11.1 
			 Cumbria 843 764 119 1,726 179.3 9.6 
			 Lancashire 2,521 2,935 1,160 6,615 569.0 11.8 
			 Greater Manchester 5,394 8,971 1,850 16,215 1,204.2 13.5 
			 Merseyside 2,992 5,424 565 8,981 718.1 12.5 
			 North West 13,333 20,166 4,171 37,671 3,044.0 12.4 
			
			 Derbyshire 1,856 1,193 308 3,357 364.5 9.2 
			 Leicestershire 3,047 986 85 4,117 527.9 7.8 
			 Lincolnshire 1,320 967 417 2,704 245.4 11.0 
			 Northamptonshire 1,244 696 0 1,940 265.6 7.3 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,551 2,760 997 6,307 553.0 11.4 
			 East Midlands 10,018 6,601 1,806 18,426 1,956.4 9.4 
			
			 Humberside 2,451 1,440 553 4,444 451.0 9.9 
			 North Yorkshire 892 984 249 2,125 238.9 8.9 
			 South Yorkshire 4,138 4,372 464 8,974 622.3 14.4 
			 West Yorkshire 4,561 4,871 1,645 11,078 1,041.8 10.6 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 12,043 11,667 2,911 26,621 2,354.0 11.3 
			
			 Hampshire 3,653 2,439 138 6,230 612.8 10.2 
			 Kent 2,341 3,406 463 6,210 480.4 12.9 
			 Surrey 1,446 695 381 2,522 282.4 8.9 
			 Sussex 2,068 1,429 88 3,585 391.9 9.1 
			 Thames Valley 3,301 3,001 1,031 7,333 657.6 11.2 
			 South East 12,809 10,970 2,099 25,878 2,425.0 10.7 
			
			 Avon and Somerset 3,137 1,866 247 5,249 566.0 9.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,240 2,674 104 5,017 491.6 10.2 
			 Dorset 1,324 612 106 2,042 267.5 7.6 
			 Gloucestershire 1,337 1,184 0 2,520 168.4 15.0 
			 Wiltshire 825 872 139 1,836 183.0 10.0 
			 South West 8,862 7,206 596 16,664 1,676 5 9.9 
			
			 London 19,481 14,014 272 33,767 2,644.3 12.8 
			
			 Dyfed Powys 968 863 162 1,993 177.4 11.2 
			 Gwent 1,567 2,172 8 3,747 270.7 13.8 
			 North Wales 1,146 1,651 24 2,821 252.8 11.2 
			 South Wales 3,070 4,623 739 8,431 591.4 14.3 
			 Wales 6,751 9,308 933 16,992 1,292.2 13.1 
			
			 England and Wales 114,514 105,480 19,807 239,801 20,822.8 11.5

Antidepressants: Costs

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of prescribing anti-depressant drugs in  (a) each primary care trust,  (b) strategic health authority and  (c) England was in each of the last three years; and what steps he is taking to reduce these costs.

Dawn Primarolo: The net ingredient cost of anti-depressant drugs prescribed in England and dispensed in the United Kingdom, by primary care trusts (PCTs), strategic heath authorities and for England, in the years 2005 to 2007, the most recent full three year period available, have been taken from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system and been placed in the Library.
	The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT) began in 2006. This aims to help PCTs implement National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for treating depression and anxiety disorders, and to make psychological therapies more readily available. We have made a very substantial commitment to IAPT, which will provide patients with a real choice of prescribed anti-depressants or therapy or both. By 2010-11, annual funding for IAPT will rise to 173 million, to train 3,600 extra therapists and treat 900,000 more people in those three years.

Exercise

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place for organisations to respond to his Department's physical activity strategy for England, Be active, be healthy: a plan for getting the nation moving.

Dawn Primarolo: As a part of the Physical Activity plan, the Department is taking forward a range of initiatives with key stakeholders and partners at national, regional and local levels.
	We have established a cross-government Physical Activity Programme Board, jointly led by Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, to oversee deliver/of this plan, including progress against two million Legacy Action plan target, and to co-ordinate the regional/local delivery of physical activity alongside sport.
	The Government are supporting the creation of physical activity alliance of organisations that share the common aim to deliver a shared vision of a healthier nation through physical activity. The physical activity alliance will add value to the local delivery of physical activity by co-ordinating the activities of its members at all levels and unlocking new resources, for example by working with private sector sponsors.
	The Department is providing funding to County Sport and Physical Activity Partnerships (CSPAPs) to enable them to have an integral role in the delivery of national and regional physical activity strategies. The CSPAPs will be responsible for co-ordinating local programmes and investment to deliver physical activity and active recreation alongside sport.

Exercise

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members are of the Interim Steering Group for the Physical Activity Alliance as referred to in his Department's publication, Be active, be healthy: a plan for getting the nation moving.

Dawn Primarolo: The Interim Steering Group of physical activity alliance members are:
	
		
			  Member  
			 Sarah Gaventa CABE Space 
			 Brigid Simmonds Central Council of Physical Recreation 
			 Christine Double County Sport Partnerships Network 
			 Geoff Dessent Deputy Director, Health Wellbeing, DH (Observer) 
			 Prof. Alan Maryon-Davis Faculty of Public Health 
			 Andree Deane Fitness Industry Association 
			 Tony Armstrong Living Streets 
			 Paul Raynes Local Government Association 
			 Paul Lincoln National Heart Forum 
			 William Bird (Chair) Outdoor Health Forum 
			 Paul Jarvis Regional Physical Activity Leads 
			 Ruth Alleyne Sport England (Observer) 
			 Philip Insall Sustrans 
			 Rosi Prescott Central YMCA

Smoking: Health Services

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland have received assistance from the NHS to stop smoking in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, data on the number of people setting a quit date and successfully quitting through the National Health Service Stop Smoking Services is available for the Cumbria Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and for the former Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and its constituent PCTs for 2004-05 to 2006-07.
	Information for 2007-08 is available from the annual Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2007 to March 2008. This information can be found in table 3.5 on page 28.
	Information for 2006-07 is available for both the old and new SHA and PCTs from the annual statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2006 to March 2007. This information can be found in table 2.12 (old breakdown) and table 5.4 (new breakdown) on pages 18-19 and 65 respectively.
	Information for 2005-06 is available for both the old SHA and PCTs from the annual statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2005 to March 2006. This information can be found in table 4.12 on pages 37-38.
	Information for 2004-05 is available for both the old SHA and PCTs from the annual Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2004 to March 2005. This information can be found in table 19 on pages 52-53.
	All of the above publications have already been placed in the Library.

Strokes: Health Services

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress towards the implementation of the National Stroke Strategy published in December 2007; and what plans he has to publish a progress report.

Ann Keen: Stroke Networks have now been established across England and have started their work reviewing and organising delivery of stroke services across the care pathway. Significant progress is being made in implementing the stroke strategy but we acknowledge there is still work to be done. Later this year the Department will commission an independent evaluation of the implementation of the stroke strategy which will cover the whole stroke pathway from awareness to long term care and support. Our intention is to publish the evaluation report.

Strokes: Health Services

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of progress towards ensuring that lower risk suspected trans ischaemic attack patients are seen by a medical professional within seven days as referred to in the National Stroke Strategy.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. The Department will commission an independent evaluation of the implementation of the stroke strategy later this year, which will cover the whole stroke pathway from awareness to long term care and support. Our intention is to publish the evaluation report.

Strokes: Health Services

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of hospitals able to provide 24-hour thrombolysis for suspected stroke patients.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. The National Sentinel Stroke audit, prepared by the Royal College of Physicians and which is based on clinical data, collected directly from national health service trusts, details the latest evidence on the provision of stroke services to patients. While a significant number of units offer a thrombolysis service, the most recent audit (August 2008) states that the number offering a 24-hour/seven day a week service is low. The audit is available at the College's Internet site at:
	www.rcplondon.ac.uk/clinicalstandards/ceeu/Currentwork/Documents/Public%20organisational%20report2008.pdf

Children: Day Care

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare places there were in West Lancashire constituency in  (a) 1997 and  (b) 2008.

Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1 :  Number( 1,2)  of day care places for children under eight years of age by type of provider Lancashire local authority areaposition at 31 March 1997 
			  Type of provider  1997 
			 Day nurseries 9,900 
			 Playgroups and pre-schools 8,200 
			 Childminders 8,700 
			 Out of school clubs 1,100 
			 Holiday schemes 1,500 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100.  Source: (2) Children's Day Care Facilities Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number( 1,2)  of registered childcare places for children under eight years of age by type of care Lancashire local authority areaposition at 31 March 2008 
			  Type of care  2008 
			 Full day care 18,500 
			 Sessional day care 3,500 
			 Childminders 5,500 
			 Out of school day care 9,200 
			 Crche day care 400 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100.  Source: (2) Ofsted 
		
	
	Since 2003 Ofsted has been responsible for the registration and inspection of child care providers. Ofsted have produced figures on the numbers of registered child care providers and places on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published in their report Registered Childcare Providers and Places, August 2008, which is available on their website,
	www.Ofsted.gov.uk/

Health Education: Sex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the review group on sex and relationship education (SRE) consulted parents about what should be taught as part of SRE and at what ages; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The purpose of the review of sex and relationships education (SRE) in schools was not to decide the precise content of schools' SRE programmes. Rather, its purpose was to consider what action is needed to improve SRE delivery.
	As a result of the review, we have announced our intention to make PSHE statutory and to develop a statutory programme of study, which sets outin high-level termsa common core of knowledge and skills that all young people should be taught. We will, however, retain the flexibility for individual school governing bodies to determine how material should be presented and what teaching resources schools use to support delivery of their SRE programmes.
	The Government's response to the SRE review also committed us to develop updated SRE guidance for schools. Both the PSHE programmes of study and new SRE guidance will be subject to a full public consultation.
	To inform its decisions, the SRE steering group commissioned a review of the existing evidence on parents' views on SRE. This evidencealong with evidence on Ofsted, teachers' and young people's views on SRE, as well as a literature review of international evidencewere considered by the steering group when deciding what recommendations to make to Government.
	We agree with the SRE review steering group that the provision of SRE should be a partnership between parents and schools. Parents should lead on instilling values in their children, but schools have a clear role in giving young people accurate information and helping them to develop the skills they need to make safe and responsible choices.

Schools: Admissions

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school entry age in (i) England, (ii) Enfield local education authority area and (iii) Enfield North constituency gained a place at their (A) first and (B) second choice school in each of the last 11 years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: 2008 was the first year that local authorities were required to provide data to the Secretary of State on secondary school offers made on the day that parents are notified of their school places. This year's data was published on 12 March. Data is not collected at a constituency level.
	This year, figures for Enfield local authority show that 62.1 per cent. of children resident in the authority who are eligible to transfer to secondary school in September 2009, and who applied for a place, were offered their first choice school. 15.1 per cent. were offered their second choice school. Last year these figures were 62.2 per cent. and 16 per cent. respectively.
	The figures for England show that 83.2 per cent. of children who are eligible to transfer to secondary school in September 2009, and who applied for a place, were offered their first choice school. 8.4 per cent. were offered their second choice school. The figures for 2008 were 82 per cent. and 8.7 per cent. respectively.
	The day that parents are notified of their secondary school place is the first part of the process of obtaining a preferred school. These figures are likely to change by September as places become available or appeals are successful.
	The Department does not collect data on offers of primary school places.

Special Educational Needs: Pilot Schemes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 201-2W, on special educational needs: pilot schemes, 
	(1)  what eight projects the Lamb inquiry has commissioned;
	(2)  how much funding has been allocated to each pilot; who will assess the effectiveness of each pilot; and when they will report on the matter.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of the eight projects that the Lamb Inquiry has commissioned can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/lambinquiry/downloads/LambInquiryprojectssummary.pdf
	We have committed 1 million of funding over 2007-09, for the No to Failure pilot project. Dr. Chris Singleton is currently preparing the project's final evaluation report, which is likely to be published shortly.
	Dyslexia Action is receiving funding of 250,000 over 2008-10 to run the Partnership for Literacy pilots. The effectiveness of the pilots is being evaluated by the university of Durham's Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring. Dyslexia Action published a report of the project's first two years on 2 March. It is expected that they will then publish the final evaluation early in 2010.
	We have also allocated 31 million over two years for the Achievements for All pilot projects. We are currently tendering for an organisation to conduct an external independent evaluation.
	The British Sign Language pilot project will be receiving 800,000 for up to two years over 2009-11. The details on the evaluation process have yet to be finalised.
	The pilot project to improve the supply of curriculum materials for visually impaired and dyslexic pupils is still in contract negotiations. Bidders were required as part of their initial bid to lay out stringent plans for an evaluation process, and we will be making details available as soon as that process is complete.

Building Our Common Future Conference

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people who  (a) attended and  (b) spoke at his Department's Building our Common Future conference on 9 to 10 March 2009 had their (i) flights and (ii) accommodation paid for in full or in part by his Department; and what the cost to his Department was in each category.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) paid in full or in part, the flights and accommodation costs for 58 conference delegates invited from overseas, of whom 14 were speakers or expert panel discussants. A breakdown of the costs is as follows:
	(i) Total cost of flights for Speakers was 14,687.83
	Total cost of other delegates' flights was 38,152.46
	(ii) Total cost for accommodation for Speakers was 2,868
	Total cost for accommodation for other delegates was 11,352.50

Building Our Common Future Conference

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost to his Department was of  (a) organising and  (b) hosting its Building our Common Future conference on 9 to10 March 2009.

Douglas Alexander: Costs for the building our common future conference on 9-10 March 2009 are still being finalised. The forecast costs are as follows:
	 (a) Organising costs, including event preparation and management, participants registration and support, audio-visual costs, stage set and graphics, exhibition costs, conference materials, signs and display materials: 292,048 excluding VAT;
	 (b) Hosting costs, including venue hire, lunches and refreshments for over 700 participants over the two days, accommodation and travel costs for 58 participants invited from overseas, the provision of a prayer room and carbon offsetting: 166,205 excluding VAT.

Building Our Common Future Conference

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) fees and  (b) expenses his Department paid to the external speakers who chaired sessions at its Building our Common Future conference on 9 to 10 March 2009.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) paid no fees and expenses to external speakers for chairing sessions at the 'Building our Common Future' conference on 9 and 10 March 2009.

Departmental Publications

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1004W, on departmental publications, what the total monthly circulation of his Department's developments magazine is; and how many copies are sent to Government Departments in each month.

Michael Foster: The circulation of the quarterly magazine Developments, as of 11 March 2009, is 88,873 copies, of which, nine copies are sent to other Government Departments.

Electricity: Planning

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to ensure that the National Policy Statement on Electricity Transmission Networks will prevent the construction of high voltage lines in Areas of Outstanding National Beauty and National Parks; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: National Policy Statements (NPSs) for Energy Policy including that for Electricity Networks infrastructure will be consulted on later this year.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the final annual salary of the outgoing Chief Executive of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was; and what his  (a) final departure package and  (b) pension arrangements are.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 16 March 2009
	The outgoing chief executive Dr. Ian Roxburgh's final annual salary was 213,459.
	The Remuneration Report included in the NDA's Annual Report and Accounts (to be laid before Parliament in July 2009) will contain information related to any emoluments.
	Dr. Roxburgh was a member of the Civil Service PCSPS scheme and attained the equivalent of 40 years service on attaining his 60(th) birthday. His pension arrangements under the scheme are in line with the scheme rules. Dr. Roxburgh transferred his private sector pension entitlement into the civil service scheme.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 74 of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy Consultation, on what basis the estimates of increases in gas bills by 2020 necessary as incentives for renewable energy deployment were made.

Mike O'Brien: Gas price impacts presented in the RES consultation document are driven by the proposed financial incentive mechanisms on renewable heat.
	The impact of these incentives on future prices and bills are estimated by taking into account the pass through of the costs of the policy through the suppliers into gas prices and bills. Costs are calculated by taking into account the cost of the renewable heat technologies versus conventional heating technologies as well as estimates on demand and supply side barriers that need to be overcome to incentivise renewable heat uptake under different scenarios.
	The net impact on gas prices is dependent on our baseline assumptions of average domestic and industrial bills up to 2020. We are in the process of revising our analysis which will be published alongside the final Renewable Energy Strategy this year.

Renewable Energy

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to paragraph 7.5.35 of the UK Renewable Energy Strategy Consultation, what steps he plans to take to counter the principal constraints to the provision of biomass infrastructure.

Mike O'Brien: The Government continue to consider the issues raised by paragraph 7.5.35 of the consultation paper and will announce their intentions in the Renewable Energy Strategy, to be published later this year.

Renewable Energy: Expenditure

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department and its predecessors spent on  (a) wind,  (b) tidal,  (c) solar and  (d) geo-thermal power development in the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: DTI's renewable energy R and D expenditure on these areas before the activity transferred to the Technology Strategy Board in 2007 was.
	
		
			  000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  (a) Wind 1,395 1,460 1,137 845 
			  (b) Wave and tidal 5,019 1,235 1,655 2,258 
			  (c) Solar/PV 3,131 1,970 1,782 1,128 
		
	
	DIUS (and, before the creation of DIUS, DTI) provides funding for the Research Councils. The Research Councils' spend on these areas was.
	
		
			  000 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 (a) Wind 482 243 125 1,074 768 
			 (b) Wave and tidal 830 995 1,026 633 1,015 
			 (c) Solar(1) 1,453 1,690 1,764 1,473 2,046 
			 (c) Photovoltaics 2,381 2,676 2,531 2,308 6,472 
			 (d) Geothermal 73 79 106 153 348 
			 (1) Research relating to light harvesting in biological process/organisms. 
		
	
	 (a) Wind
	DTI/BERR/DECC's spend on the Offshore Wind Capital Grants programme was.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend ( million) 
			 2004-05 15.00 
			 2005-06 23.11 
			 2006-07 25.89 
			 2007-08 12.75 
			 2008-09 07.62 
		
	
	DTI/BERR's spend on the Wind Aviation Interests was.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend (000) 
			 2005 352 
			 2006 178 
			 2007 66 
		
	
	 (b) Tidal
	DTI/BERR/DECC's spend on Wave and Tidal through the Marine Renewables Deployment Fund (capital) was.
	
		
			  Financial year  Spend ( million) 
			 2006-07 0.9 
			 2007-08 0.7 
			 2008-09 0.7 
		
	
	In 2008 BERR also spent 25,000 on Wave and Tidal research.
	 (c) Solar
	Between 2001 and 2006 DTI spent 10 million on large scale and domestic Photovoltaic Field Trials. The amount of money spent is not available on a per year basis.
	DTI/BERR's spend on the Major PV Demonstration programme with a budget of 31 million paid 26 million to projects.
	
		
			  Financial year   million 
			 2002-03 4.3 
			 2003-04 6.7 
			 2004-05 5.7 
			 2005-06 7.0 
			 2006-07 2.4 
		
	
	DTI/BERR's spend on solar thermal under the Clear Skies scheme was.
	
		
			  Year paid  000 
			 2003 11 
			 2004 164 
			 2005 991 
			 2006 511 
			 2007 389 
		
	
	DTI/BERR/DECC's spend on solar under the Low Carbon Buildings programme Phase 1 scheme to end-February 2009 was.
	
		
			  000 
			   Solar hot water  Photovoltaics 
			 2006-07 560 1,916 
			 2007-08 686 2,379 
			 2008-09(1) 1,083 1,813 
			 Total 2,329 6,108 
			 (1) To end February. 
		
	
	DTI/BERR/DECC's spend on solar under the Low Carbon Buildings programme Phase 2 scheme to end-February 2009 was.
	
		
			  000 
			   Solar thermal  PV 
			 2007 14 419 
			 2008 299 4,926 
			 2009 36 650 
		
	
	 (d) Geothermal
	DTI/BERR spend on ground source heat pumps under the Clear Skies scheme was.
	
		
			  Year paid  000 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 24 
			 2005 323 
			 2006 384 
			 2007 68 
		
	
	The answer excludes details of expenditure that could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.